Bengal CM Writes To CEC, Urges To Refrain From 'Unilateral' Transfer Of Key Officials
In her letter to Gyanesh Kumar, Mamata Banerjee says transferring key officials without consulting the state government risks undermining the long-standing tradition and institution's credibility.
Published : March 17, 2026 at 2:17 PM IST
Kolkata: In the aftermath of a protest march against alleged artificial LPG crisis on Monday afternoon, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lashed out at the Election Commission (EC) over transfer of the state's top officials just after the announcement of the Assembly elections dates. Later at night, Banerjee raised this issue in a letter written to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Citing the reason behind her letter, Banerjee said she was compelled to write regarding the recent orders on March 15 and 16 that directed the 'transfer and unilateral removal' of several senior officials, including Chief Secretary, Home Secretary and DGP.
"The decision for such sweeping transfers has been implemented without any allegations of rule violation, misconduct, or dereliction of duty in the conduct of elections, and without any specific or compelling justification," Banerjee wrote.
On Sunday night, hours after the announcement of the West Bengal Assembly election dates, EC issued orders to transfer the state's top bureaucrats namely Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty and Home Secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena from their posts. In a subsequent order issued on Monday, the Commission removed DGP Piyush Pandey, and Commissioner of Kolkata Police, Supratim Sarkar, from their respective positions.
Immediately after these orders, the state government issued a notification reshuffling several senior IPS officers. Citing constitutional provisions regarding election administration, the Chief Minister said that the exercise of the Election Commission's authority over officials engaged in election-related duties has historically been carried out in consultation with the state government.
"It is universally acknowledged that, pursuant to Article 324 of the Constitution of India—along with Section 13CC of the 'Representation of the People Act, 1950' and Section 28A of the 'Representation of the People Act, 1951'—officials engaged in election-related duties during the election period are deemed to be serving on deputation under the Election Commission," she said, noting that, during the previous elections, the Commission adhered to the established practice of consulting with the state government before implementing such transfer orders.
Banerjee further added: "Historically, during past elections, and within the framework of our federal structure, the Commission has consistently consulted with the State Government—as a matter of constitutional propriety and administrative convention—prior to exercising these powers. In practice, the Commission would request a panel (list) of three officers from the State Government and subsequently select one officer from that list to fill any vacancy arising from a contentious transfer. It is a matter of deep concern and astonishment that, merely hours after the issuance of the press release announcing the 2026 West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections, top-ranking officials within the State's administrative hierarchy have been removed."
Banerjee has requested EC to refrain from taking such measures in the future. "Such measures risk undermining the long-standing tradition, credibility, and institutional integrity of the Election Commission of India, while simultaneously casting an adverse impact on the fundamental principles of our constitutional framework," she justified.
Earlier, Banerjee had written six letters to the Chief Election Commissioner, highlighting errors and instances of public harassment regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
Voting for the 294 seats of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly is scheduled to be held in two phases. The first phase will be on April 23 and the second on April 29. The counting of votes will be on May 4.
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